Hospital Love and the Angel of Death
by Lynnie-chan
Summary: From Dark to Night, From Orange to White. When you see this figure, you know that something isn't right. Walking the world collecting the souls of those who must die. He comes to you and there is only one thing that you can say. Goodbye. GrimmxIchi YAOI, rated M for later chapter's.


**_From Dark to Night, From Orange to White. When you see this figure, you know that something isn't right. Walking the world collecting the souls of those who must die. He comes to you and there is only one thing that you can say. Goodbye._**

Karakura town Hospital. It was a large hospital that was one of the best in the country, well looked after with the best doctor's and nurses. Everyone was the best at their job and they all cared about their patient's and wanted to make sure that they were all safe and would be able to return home soon, since as nice as a hospital was, know one wanted to stay longer than need be when they could just go on home.

Then there were the patient's that didn't go home. As sad as it was, it was a part of the world, a fact of life. Not all patient's got to go home when they went to the hospital, some went from the hospital room straight to the morgue, and that was not a pleasant place to be. It was at the basement of the hospital and during the day most wanted to avoid going there. The day was a calming time since no one wanted to get upset, and during the day everyone wanted to just go about their business and make it pleasant for the people who had to come and go. The night shift though was when thing's really happened, when the doctor's and nurses began running back and fourth, and when Ichigo finally began getting busy.

Ichigo Kurosaki. Gravity defying sunset hair that was as soft as a make up brush for a woman applying her blush. Expressive amber liquor colored eyes that could burn into your soul. A straight nose that was above two plump peach colored lips. A brush of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. He stood at five foot seven and was blessed with a lean physique of a swimmer but had the confidence and style that would but a GQ model to shame.

At first look this man would be like any other man who walked the hospital. Dressed in black slacks and shinned black shoes. A button down black shirt with a matching duster that brushed the back's of his legs when he walked. He was quite but really at the hospital a lot of people weren't feeling to chatty, especially when it came to someone who you didn't know. Besides when you would see Ichigo, it was just a moment, he would be outside of a hospital room, looking in at the patient in a room who was resting with their family, he might be seen, but if you turned your attention from him for only a second you would miss him, and surprisingly enough, know one else would see him. Or if they did, they would merely say there wasn't anything or anyone who worked in the hospital who matched that description.

Tonight was another night for Ichigo. He was walking slowly through the hospital, his shoes clicking against the tile under his feet. He knew that tonight he would be there to collect. He didn't like doing it, but it was a part of the job and he knew that it had to be done, he couldn't let them go on this way. It wasn't right to leave them in the body that was hurting them so much.

It was a painful thing he knew, but it was a part of his job. So he walked on, looking over the list that he carried,circling the names that he knew would be here tonight and scribbling a note next to the names that wouldn't be there that he would have to find somewhere else.

"Nii-sama, are you sure? She could still make it."

A petite dark haired girl said, wide violet eyes staring at a woman who looked just slightly older than her. The figure on the bed was small and frail looking, eyes dimmed and once creamy skin had lost it's glow.

"No she wouldn't want to go on this way, and I am not selfish enough to keep her like this. Not while she's in such pain."

A man with onyx hair and gun steel grey eyes looked at the woman on the bed, his hand holding hers and caressing it gently as if he was committing the way she felt to memory. He wasn't going to give up until she had passed away, but he wasn't going to keep her on machines that would just live for her. He couldn't and wouldn't be that selfish, no matter how much he loved her.

Ichigo walked on, pausing only to look into the room where the two people were, his eyes turning to the woman in the bed. Her eyes locked on Ichigo and she froze lightly, her hand tightening in Byakuya's hand. She was scared, she didn't think that she was ready yet.

Ichigo just nodded at the woman and walked on. He would be there for her, just not yet, she had some time. Shoes clicked against the tile as he walked on.

Rukia was worried, seeing how her sister tensed like that, she thought that maybe it was a good sign. Maybe Hisana was going to come out of it, maybe she would be able to get better and would be ready to come home.

Byakuya though turned when seeing his wife's look she looked so frightened of something, and he didn't know what it was. And when he turned to look at what seemed to have caught his wife's attention he caught sight of something. Just the ends of a black duster, and sunset orange hair, and the it was gone.

A manicured brow rose. Sure seeing someone walk past a hospital room wasn't to odd considering, but something about that just seemed off. And seeing Hisana, who normally was demure, acting so anxious because a figure passed their room, it was just something that was odd.

"Nurse, that man who just walked by, with the orange hair, who was it?"

Byakuya wasn't sure why but he wanted to know who it was who had worked his wife up so much, and why. Maybe if he figured out who it was then he could figure out what it was about the man that had upset Hisana so much.

The nurse, a tall silver haired woman with the name tag reading Isane, turned from the moniters that she she was looking over and looked at the man with a raised brow.

"A man?"

Isane raised a brow and moved to the open door and look out to see who was there, but didn't see anyone, and she knew that they didn't have anyone with orange hair who worked in the hospital, not any that she could think of off of the top of her head.

"I'm sorry sir I don't see anyone."

Byakuya blinked before nodding deciding that there was nothing to be overly worried about and instead returned to Hisana's side, knowing that she needed his attention more than some mysterious man who walked by that the nurse didn't see.

Meanwhile in another part of the hospital, a blue eyed doctor sighed softly to himself. His shoulder's were slumped and his mind was exhausted. Jaegerjaquez was exhausted. He was working on hour twenty of a sixteen hour shift. He would never understand why Monday had to be such a busy day, he swore people would go through their weekends half dead just to not ruin their weekends, so Monday's were always busy.

"Long day doc?"

The sound of his colleague's voice caused the man to turn and give a nod to the other doctor, pinching the bridge of his other doctor in the room he was talking to was one of the surgeon's. Doctor Uryu Ishida.

"Yeah, it's been a long shift, and I'm still not done." Grimmjow said rolling his shoulder's to work out some of the tension he felt. He had another room that he needed to check on one of his patient's and see that the young woman who he was looking over was still with him.

Ichigo walked on. Pausing in one room to look over a tiny wisp of a child. She was young, and sweet and happy. It was a shame that she was here. He didn't know what to think about the name on his list. But he had a feeling that the doctor would be able to take this girl off of his list. And he had better hurry the time was ticking down and as large wheat grey colored eyes opened and a wide smile teased her lips.

"Itsygo, you came to visit Nel."

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. A sweet little girl who was brought to the hospital about two weeks ago by a passing stranger. He had saw the child asleep on a bench in ripped clothes and no shoes. She had a fever and was dehydrated and underfed. She was a orphan without any living family, and had quickly won the hearts of all of the doctors and nurses who had treated the sweet child.

Since that time Ichigo had been in to visit the child, but the fact that she could see him let him know her time was close.

"Yes I did Nel. I need you to be calm though alright? I promise you wont hurt much longer."

Wide eyes grew larger in question before the monitor that signified her heart beat began to beep rapidly, it couldn't keep up with her tiny body. Her eyes widened and her little arms began to claw at her blanket's as she made coughing hacking sounds, trying to catch her breath.

Ichigo just watched as his own body began to change. Tan skin turned alabaster white. Sunset hair faded to a snowy ash white. Eyes went from welcoming cinnamon brown to ominous gold on black. His clothing began to rip at the ends giving it a shredded look that would scare nearly anyone, especially a little child.

"Just be calm Nel, it will be time to go soon."

A voice once a calming baritone was now a raspy smoky lit that was far from comforting and seemed to be meant to taunt and tease. Nel was wide eyed and was practically screaming, as much as she could, and was scooting far back into her bed to escape the monster in front of her.

Just as Ichigo's hand reached out to touch the tiny child, the door burst open and Grimmjow, Retsu Unohana, and Uryu Ishida came running in forcing Ichigo to take a step back. He couldn't interfere if they managed to save Nel. So as the doctor's worked, he walked out, he had another soul to collect who was ready for him.

Hisana coughed again, her eyes slowly dimming as the last of life began to fade from them. She was dying, the disease had been working on her body for a long time and it was finally time to go. "Byakuya-sama. These past year's with you have been like a dream." She whispered softly, a faint cough rattling in her lungs.

Byakuya was weak to seeing how his wife suffered. Rukia had tears rolling down her cheeks as she held her sister's other hand, begging her to not go. Both seemed to lost to their grief to notice how the room became colder or how Hisana seemed to go wide eyed again, though this time didn't seem as fearful as she had before.

"Hisana, it's time to go."

"I know."

Ichigo nodded and reached his hand out, touching the middle of the woman's chest and watched as her body seemed to convulse lightly, not enough to draw attention of her loved ones, but enough for him to feel. And then..nothing. Her eyes dimmed completely, and her hands no longer returned the caresses or squeezes that her family bestowed upon her. She was gone, her soul standing beside the man who had taken it.

"What do I do now?"

Golden eyes turned to the woman and he simply put a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, I take you to the next stop. From there the Big Guy will decide your next stop."

Ichigo didn't like taking loved ones from the people who cared about them. But it was his job. So he learned to detach himself from the feeling's, and after so long of doing this he learned that he couldn't just hold onto the pain, it would consume him alive.

White floor, white walls, and far ahead, if you really looked, you could see the figure's of other's waiting in line. Ichigo just nodded as he looked at the woman who was staring ahead a little anxious. Ichigo simply gave her a light push so that she knew she was supposed to go on.

He understood the fear of being in Limbo and waiting to figure out where you go next, but she wouldn't get any where if she didn't take the first step.

So as the woman walked on, he turned down the same path he had come and headed back to the hospital. His form once again that of a young man who could be easily forgotten, he no longer had the appearance of the frightening angel he had when he took Hisana.

Opening the door to the room that he knew belonged to Nel, he wasn't to surprised to see the tiny child was better. Her monitor's were normal again and she was sleeping peacefully. Ichigo was glad to see it, he didn't want to take the child away from this world so young. And it had appeared on his list that her time wasn't now, the doctor's had fixed her.

"I didn't know that she had family."

The voice made the man turn, a little surprised to see the doctor from earlier, in the room and looking right at him. That wasn't normal, usually only those close to death would see him. There were exception's but those were rare. And for a doctor to see him..

Grimmjow had stayed with Nel after the Code Blue. He wanted to make sure that she was resting peacefully. Though when the door opened and a young man came in to look at Nel, he was surprised. And when the man turned..Grimmjow almost swooned. He had never seen this man before, but damn was he a looker.

Ichigo just nodded. "I wouldn't go as far to call us family. More like friends." He said lowly, turning his attention back to Nel. He knew how she could be, he had been watching over this little child for a long time, the odds had been against her since her birth, and that was saying something since Nel was only about five as it was. Poor thing had had a hard life.

But Ichgo had been watching her since birth, and though his job was to collect the soul's of those who were passing on, he did enjoy watching those who managed to beat death and get off of his collection list, especially those who were young. It was a something that made his job a little easier.

"A friend huh? so where is her family?"

Grimmjow wasn't sure he believed the friend story. If this guy was friends with a kid, then he might know some of about her, like why she was brought in by a stranger who said that she was found on a bench. He knew that the police were looking into the story about the girl and looking for a foster home for her but maybe this guy could tell Grimmjow something police didn't know.

Ichigo just shrugged. "I'm not sure, I don't know her family, just her."

Just as Grimmjow was about to ask the man another question, the door opened revealing another nurse. A orange haired busty woman with blue grey eyes and a innocence about her that would have most either craving to take her innocence or craving to just hurt her.

" . May I speak with you please?"

"Yeah."

Grimmjow swore that if another emergency came up he was going to scream. He just want a few minuet's of peace, and he somehow found that in Nel's room. Maybe it was because she was so happy normally. She seemed to be content no matter what, and was so sweet.

Ichigo watched from the corner of his eye as Grimmjow walked out and simply shook his head before turning his attention back to Nel and gave a light smile as he brushed her hair from her face.

"Good job Nel, I'm still not ready to take you." He whispered, smiling seeing the tiny child smile in her sleep, before he turned and walked towards the window, gazing out and seeing how the city was, how the world had changed from when he was alive, but was still the same. He hadn't been dead that long.

"Itsygo? are you going to stay this time?"

Ichigo turned and looked over his shoulder at the tiny child before smiling and shaking his head. "Maybe another time, but I've got to go now, be good for your doctor."

Nel's wide eyes blinked before nodding. Itsygo did this a lot, he would come visit and stay for a little while, usually when she got sick, and stay until she got better again and then would leave again. He always came back though.

Grimmjow nodded signing the last chart that Orihime had for him before opening the door to Nelliel's room only to blink at the sight that greeted him. Nelliel's room was empty. The guy he had been talking to was just...gone. He knew he couldn't of walked out, he was in front of the door, so..what happened?

"Itsygo left, he said he had to go but he'll be back. He always comes to visit Nel."

Grimmjow raised a brow hearing the child say that 'Itsygo' would come back and he came to visit her often. Tch, if he would visit her then he should of taken care of her! But the doctor knew that getting pissed off about that right now was pointless, he needed to check Nel's vitals and move on.

"Bye doctor kitty!"

Ten minuet's and one cringing nickname later, Grimmjow was walking out. He would never understand why Nelliel called him , but he wouldn't ask either, it made her content and it wasn't anything bad. Besides he was finally able to go home and get maybe three hours of sleep if he was lucky, before his shift started again.

But he had to wonder...Why did that 'Itsygo' seem so familiar? Grimmjow didn't forget faces easily, and he definitely would of remembered if he met that man before. So why did it feel like if he thought about it hard enough he would remember? Groaning to himself Grimmjow shook his head as he hit the garage button in the elevator. It had been a long night an he definitely needed sleep. He had no idea that this was just the beginning with his 'brush with death' and the angel who held the title so well.


End file.
